How To Keep Yourself Safe When Travelling To A Destination For The First TIme

Tuesday, 1 May 2018

Heading to a destination for the first time can be so exciting, but many people forget that some caution when visiting a new destination is important to avoid certain dangers. Being more cautious before heading out on your travels will help you avoid many problems that might otherwise throw your travels plans off track.

There are some specific things you can do to ensure you are safe, and before you visit is a good time to start learning about the destination and preparing properly. When you get to a place for the first time, you don’t want to feel like you’ve been thrown in at the deep end.

Research the location

You need to have a clear understanding of where you’re going and what you’re going to be presented with when you get there. Going in blind is never a good idea because you might only find out about the dangers and risks when it’s already too late for you to avoid them or do anything about them. The internet makes it possible to research just about any location, so check out the area on YouTube, via blog posts, and on the tourist boards own website. If you are going abroad, it's always worth checking out the foreign travel advice from your government too for that specific destination. Also, don't forget travel insurance as it is so important to protect you and your valuables and doesn't have to be expensive!

Consider the main dangers

When you’ve found out what the main dangers are, you should consider them carefully and decide how you’re going to avoid them properly. This can be done by planning to only visit certain areas or taking specific precautions. For example, there are certain cities where pickpocketing is rife, so take sensible precautions like ensuring your wallet isn't in your back pocket, your handbag is worn across your body and you only take out the minimal amount of money in those areas. Heading to a forum, checking out blog posts for advice or talking to a friend who’s already been there can be a wise thing to do too.

Get vaccinated

You should find out if the place you’re heading to requires you to get vaccinated before you leave. It’s never wise to skip these because they keep you safe, and failure to get these could make you seriously ill, and potentially could cost you your life. Malaria, for example, exists in more than 100 countries across the world so tablets for malaria prevention are important if you are visiting a country at risk.

Ensure someone always knows where you are

If you’re planning on travelling alone, you need to make sure that someone always knows where you are when you’re abroad. This can be done by letting a friend or family member track the location of your phone via an app or by letting people know where you’re going and checking in via a text or social media. If you choose the latter, this is something that should be done privately not on an open social platform where anyone can see that information and use it.

Lock up your valuables

Ideally, you should choose a hotel room or rental that is secure and has a safe so you can keep the things that are most valuable and important to you. If the worst does happen and you get burgled, at least you will know that the safe will keep your extra money, passport and travel documents secure. Those are the things that you definitely don’t want to lose when you’re in an unfamiliar country.

Leave your home safe and sound

Before you even leave for your trip to another country, you should make sure that you leave your home in the right kind of state. It should be securely locked with no windows left open at all. You should also make sure that you have someone checking in and pushing your mail all the way through because a door with junk mail and newspapers hanging out of the letterbox is a sure sign to burglars that nobody’s home. Or you could pay to redirect your mail especially if you are away for a month or more.

Monitor your accounts

Finally, you need to keep an eye on your accounts when you’re travelling in another country. It’s increasingly common for details to be stolen, and that’s something that can happen even if your bank card is still in your wallet. So keep an eye on your accounts and ensure there are not payments you don’t recognise making. If you check your bank accounts online always check you are using a secure internet service and log off properly.

Caution might not be fun or interesting, but that doesn’t mean you can afford to ignore it when you’re about to head to a location for the first time. There are all too many people who put themselves at risk and in danger just because they don’t prepare for their upcoming travels.

Brit Mums

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